


I love you better (Trust me)

by Laslus



Category: Life with Derek
Genre: (if you consider 18 underage), (kinda), Arguing, College, Established Relationship, F/M, Family Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Getting Together, Underage Drinking, Unreliable Narrator, but like. for fun purpuses.
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-15 04:53:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29058543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laslus/pseuds/Laslus
Summary: Derek and Casey are back from college for a holiday, but they seem to be arguing like their high school selves. Lizzie and Edwin investigate, but kind of wish they didn't.orDerek and Casey are having the most aggressive "I love you more" fight ever.
Relationships: Casey McDonald/Derek Venturi
Comments: 11
Kudos: 48
Collections: Dasey Holiday Fic Exchange - 2020





	1. Prologue (The Fight)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ch_rainlily](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ch_rainlily/gifts).



> Hello! This is my first time writing for this fandom after lurking in the tag and enjoying the lovely company at the Dasey Discord Channel! 
> 
> ch_rainlily, this isn't exactly what you wanted, but the fluffy fight is here and I have added a little of keener Derek/player Casey, as a treat. I hope you enjoy it anyway!
> 
> This has 4 chapters to make it easier, it will make sense. I hope.
> 
> Enjoy the fic!

The car trip was insufferable. It was high school all over again, the radio too loud, both of them on edge, she looking out of the window and his eyes on the road. No one dared to speak.

She was the one to open the front door of their old house, leaving Derek behind with the bags and seeing her mom waiting for her in the living room made her open the first smile of the day.

“Casey! You’re home early.” She got up, hugging her tightly.

“Yeah, Derek’s test got postponed and we thought we could escape the afternoon traffic after all.”

As if summed, he showed by the open door, the stupid, crooked smile on his face. “Hey Nora, long time no seen!”

She hugged him too, as tightly as she had hugged her daughter “Well, yeah, you refuse to come by outside major holidays.”

“Mom, we’ve talked about this.” Said Casey

“Yes, yes, I know college is hard, your life is no longer in London, yadda yadda. I’m just an old mom who misses you.”

Derek coughed. “ _Princess_?” Casey was so used to the nickname being used with care that it took her a second to recognize the sarcasm “Can you get your bags? I need to close the car.”

She looked at him surprised. “You didn’t get them for me?”

He smiles widely at that as if he was expecting her to ask it, handing her the keys. “Well, it appears I don’t _care about you enough_ ” 

“ _De-rek_ , you’re unbelievable!” She shrieked, before turning her back to him, leaving out the door.

Nora didn’t seem amused. “What’s the problem with you two? Last time you were home you were getting along so well!”

Derek shrugged, throwing his duffel  bag over his shower “Casey’s got her panties in a twist over some stupid workgroup or something. ”

He looked over the door, before signing and turning his back to the door, running upstairs two steps at a time. He was safe in his room by the time he heard the front door closing. It was only when Edwin e Lizzie arrived from school a few hours later that Derek left his haven.

“Derek!” Shouted Marti, dropping her small school bags on the floor to jump on him.

She was growing up fast. She was still a kid by his parameters, but every time he saw her she seemed taller. _Heavier too_ , he thought as he picked her up. “Hey, Smarti! How are you?”

“I thought you would arrive for dinner!”

“Are you complaining?”

“No!”

He laughed, putting her back on the floor so he could say hi to his brother and Lizzie. Edwin was taller too, hitting the years when your limbs grow a little faster than the rest of you, slightly clumsy, but definitely teenage-like.

Casey was already in the living room, he could see her with the corner of his eyes, always hyper-aware of her presence, but he wouldn’t give her the pleasure of looking. She wasn’t looking either,  standing in front of the  TV , talking to  Lizzie .

His eyes caught the image behind him. He  _knew_ the movie playing behind her.

“Hey! Fight Club is on.”

Casey looked up at him, blinking slowly “Yes, mom and I were watching it.”

He blinked back. “It’s my favorite movie, why didn’t you call me?”

A lazy smile stretched over her face and he knew he had fallen on her trap this time. “Oh, I guess I just don’t think of you.”

“You’re _unbelievable,_ next time you...”

“Derek, you’ve seen this like, a thousand times, chill.” Cut Lizzie, frowning at him.

H e  growled,  looking away from Casey. This wasn’t over.

His dad arrived just in time for dinner and they helped set the table. Derek didn’t look at her once, not that she was paying attention. She took deep breaths, trying to get him off her mind enough to enjoy dinner with her family.

She missed them. She was used to college now, three years in; used to being away from their siblings and her mother and his dad, for better or for worse. She didn’t miss it in the sense of wanting it back. No. Having her own life was freeing and terrifying and better than staying at her mom all the time in every way. Not only because of Derek. But, yeah, kinda because of Derek. She was not sure how long they would’ve lasted if they confessed their feelings while still living under the same roof as their parents.

If their close call during last Christmas, when his dad almost caught them making out against the sink while trying to do the dishes, was anything to go by, it was great that they managed to deal with their feelings away from home.

Except now she felt like she could stab him with her fork, so who knows if that was for the best.

George had brought takeout from her favorite Chinese place in town and Casey really thought she could ignore his stupid face on the other side of the table. They had the best dumplings and she was eyeing them since they were setting the table – except she stayed behind to help her mother get the drinks and when she sat down there was only one left.

And it was on Derek’s chopsticks.

He made sure to stare at her as he popped it in his mouth whole.

“DE-REK!”

“What?” he asked, mouth full. She didn’t have the time to be disgusted.

“I can’t believe it! Those are my favorite!”

He knew that. He knew that to a point where last valentine’s day he had googled the best place to get dumplings in town and took her dinner there as their date. He even asked for a box to take some so she could eat them at lunch the other day. _He knew that_.

“Were they?” He asked, finally swallowing and grinning at her. She knew that look in her eyes from the years they fought over stupid things. She knew that look, most recently, from when they set bets and prank each other for fun – it had been a while since that look set a raging fire on her. “I guess I don’t pay attention to you.”

“I _hate you.”_

“Oh, you mean I’m right then?” His smirk grew larger

She was up on her feet before she noticed it. “You’re _insufferable_ , the most disgusting...”

“ _Casey_ ” Her mother's voice cut through her. She had forgotten they had an audience. “It’s just dumplings, we can get more tomorrow.”

“Yeah, Klutzilla, it’s just dumplings” He repeated, his eyes still locked on her in victory.

“It’s _not._ This is about you, Derek, not accepting you’re wrong even when you are! Your ego is too big for this house.”

She didn’t look at him as she left the dinner table to her bedroom, closing the door loudly behind her.

His father sighed. “I really thought you left this in high school.”

“Well, I guess some things never change” Derek didn’t look victorious anymore, not when Casey wasn’t in the room

“I don’t know what you guys were fighting over, but you should talk to your sister.” Said Nora.

“She is _not_ my sister.” He cut, a little too hard. The table was staring at him. Their siblings, their parents. He got up, leaving his food behind and closing his own bedroom door behind him.

  
  



	2. Casey's Version

There was a soft knock on her door, but Casey was still angry, tears on her eyes as she lifted her head from her pillow.

“Go away, Derek.”

“It’s Lizzie.”

 _Oh._ She sat up, rubbing her hands on her eyes. “Oh. Come in then.”

Her little sister had grown – she had missed that, in college, but she looked a lot more like a teenager now than she did three years ago. She closed the door behind her, leaning against it with her arms crossed. “Are you going to tell me what that was about?”

“Just Derek being a jerk, nothing new.”

Lizzie signed, moving herself to sit on the foot of Casey’s bed. “It… kinda is? Don’t get me wrong, he is still Derek, he is annoying as hell. But… I can’t remember the last time you guys fought. I thought you guys figured yourselves out in college.”

“Well, I thought that too. Maybe we were _wrong_.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

Casey ran her hand over her eyes again. “Nothing. Drop it. It was just a stupid fight.”

“Are you _crying_? Over _Derek_?” Lizzie moved to look Casey in a better light “You _are._ No. You have to tell me what’s going on.”

“I can’t.”

“You _can’t?_ ”

“Can you please just drop it, Liz?”

“Absolutely not! I’m your sister, if you can’t tell me things who can you tell? C’mon lay it on me.”

Casey stood in silence for a few seconds, before signing heavily, looking at the ceiling “Ok. But you have to promise to keep it a secret! Especially from mom and Ed!”

“What is so...”

“ _Promise._ ”

“I promise, gee, I’m not a snitch.”

Casey took a deep breath, leaving the silence hanging for a moment too long. When she spoke it was soft and low, as if she was terrified of how thin the walls were. “Derek and I are dating.”

Lizzie’s eyes popped out “You _WHAT_?!”

“Keep your voice down!”

“You are _dating Derek_.”

“Yes. Have been for almost three years now.”

Lizzie’s face went from confusion to rage in a fraction of a second. “ _What_? And you never told me?” Her whispers were almost shouting again at this point

“We didn’t know how! At first, we were taking it slow, you know? Can’t drop a bomb like that and _break up_ a few months later. You can see why this would be weird.”

Lizzie pulled a grimace “Yeah. I’m not going to lie, I just started seeing him as my brother too… Which is a me-problem.” She added quickly as Casey started looking guilty “I totally get that you could never… And I’m going to be honest, I’m not even that surprised, you two always had a certain _vibe_.”

Casey sighed “So, you’re _ok_ with us?”

“Yeah, of course I am. You’re my sister… And he is my brother.” She chuckled a little, pulling her to a hug. “But if you two are dating for _three years_ how come you looked like you wanted to murder him downstairs?”

“Because Derek is an obnoxious, insufferable idiot who can never accept being wrong, ever.”

“Uh, that sounds more like him. But what, he forgot your anniversary or flirted with another girl or...”

“Oh no, Derek wouldn’t. It’s just… We had agreed we would tell you all about us, including mom and George. So we were discussing how to tell the story and he can’t accept the fact that _I_ was the one who took the first step.”

“…What?”

“He thinks he was the one who did it? Can you _believe it_? Derek would _never_ have the sensibility to be the first one who actually acknowledges his feelings. Let alone _deal_ with them in a mature fashion. And, as if this wasn’t bad enough, he… Wait. I’ll start from the top.”

* * *

When we first arrived from college we avoided each other like the plague. I was focused on discovering the new _college_ _me_ , discover new possibilities and interests. I had picked a few extra classes on chemistry for fun, had joined a dance club, befriend my roommate Gabriela. I didn’t think much about what Derek was doing, but I assume whatever fresh-out-of-high-school jocks do without parental supervision. Not classes, or at least I thought.

But Gabriela was _really_ into college parties and I didn’t want to miss out, you know? New city, freshmen in college, I thought I could… shake things up a bit. So I joined her in whatever party she went to, as long as it didn’t clash with my classes on the next day. I was _really cool_ , not going to lie. I was even known in a few fraternities. Gabriela had this older friend who she hooked up sometimes that threw the _best_ parties, but they always clashed with some exam or test or _something_ and I missed like. All of them.

“You _have to go_ , Casey, this is the last one of the semester! Who knows when they will be able to throw a party this big again?”

“I have...”

“Don’t say finals, your schedule is tapped to our wall, your last exam is on Wednesday. Besides, Ryan has a friend he really wants you to meet.”

“Gab...”

“I know, I know you hate blind dates, but he is a really cool guy! I met him too, I think you two will get along, and we can go on double dates! Pretty please?”

So I did. Gabs and I picked the _best_ outfits and arrived just late enough that it was fashionable, you know? And it was _popping_ , Ryan’s fraternity really knows how to throw a party. So we grabbed a few drinks and went to meet our friends. I was never one to drink, but It _was_ the last party of the term, and honestly, I could use the buzz. Besides, you know, new me and all that. So I was a _little_ dizzy when Ryan pushed me aside to tell me his friend was here

Now, Gabriela had tried to set me up with all kinds of people over the semester. She even tried a girl from her calculus class, which, by the way, turns out I like? Girls, I mean. Well, math isn’t that bad either, after all! Turns out I was studying it all wrong in high school! But I meant I like girls. But that’s not the point, me and Julia didn’t go further than a couple of study dates. The _point_ was that I didn’t have my hopes up, none of the dates had caught my eye before.

Except when I turned, standing by Ryan with a cup on his hands and a stupid jersey was Derek. We gaped at each other for a second, but our mutual friend didn’t seem to notice.

“So, Casey, this is Derek. Derek, Casey. He is a movie major, he wrote a mean final paper on the male gaze, I thought you...”

But I’m going to be honest, I wasn’t listening. Probably neither was him because we had our eyes glued to each other. Honestly, I didn’t exactly knew what to do. I… I had a _small_ crush on him during high school. A tiny one. It was under control. I hadn’t thought about it since we arrived in college. But seeing him here was a little too surreal, you know? Like a weird dream.

He started laughing first, and I joined in a second.

“What?”

“We, uh, we know each other,” He said, his voice still smiling “We...”

I blame the liquid courage, to be honest, but I saw a chance and I took it. New me could mean new Casey-and-Derek too.

“We went to school together,” I added, quickly

He coughed, blinking at me, but I only smiled. It took him a few seconds before he added. “Yeah, she was our very own high school nerd.”

“Says the definition of brainless jock.”

The name-calling had no bite under it. I was still high on the fact that I was actually doing this. That he was _going along_. Honestly, I didn’t want to read much into it, Derek was never the one for well-thought plans, maybe he was finding it funny? Maybe he wanted to know where I was going? Did _I_ know where I was going?

I had no answers, but I really wanted to find out.

“Well, maybe you should catch up? A lot has changed since high school.”

“Oh, I’m sure Casey here has better to do then...”

“Actually, I was thinking about grabbing another beer. Do you want to come with me?”

Gabriela basically squeaked at my side, but my eyes were on Derek.

“You… Yeah, sure.”

I smiled at him, waving at my friends before turning towards the bar. He followed me in silence until we were out of earshot.

“What are you doing?”

“Getting beer, catching up with an old friend. What are you drinking?”

He blinked at me again, slow, confused. “I’m driving.”

“And that stops you?”

“It does, actually. Besides, I drank enough for a _lifetime_ in the first week.”

I eyed him, confused. This Derek wasn’t the one I was expecting to find. I was more than intrigued. Taking the last sip from my cup and asking for a refill. “I’m impressed.”

“And also _not_ the designed driver, I assume. What happened to _De-rek_ , _our brains aren’t fully formed, you could really hurt you_ _r_ _self with this_? _”_

I huffed. “Shut up, it's just a couple of beers. And I’m walking home, it’s close.”

He eyed me more carefully and I leaned closer, just slightly. “You’re _drunk.”_

“I’m _so_ not drunk. Besides, you’re one to talk, I remember distinctively you puking your guts out on our bathroom last year.”

He laughed at that instead of being annoyed, and we walked together to a quieter corner of the house, away from the loud music and away from the drunk students shouting with all they had. We found a small, dirty sofa and sat so we were mostly facing each other.

“That was _once_. I can usually hold my liquor.”

I took another sip of my beer. “So, Ryan said something about a paper on male gaze?”

He smiled openly at me and I realized that, _maybe_ , my high school crush wasn’t quite over. But I had never seen him smile like that at anything school-related in my life, I was intrigued. I wanted to hear more. “Yeah, I got the highest grade in class. Kinda fucked up the curve too.”

“It's a good feeling, right?”

“ _Yes_ , I can almost see why you had a stick up your ass in high school.”

I punched him lightly, no real strength behind. “Hey! But _the male gaze_? That’s pretty feminist for you.”

And he did what I really, really wanted him to do, but thought he wouldn’t. He talked about it, explaining in complicated terms, and _god,_ did college-Derek do his readings and paid attention to class? It was like watching an overly entertaining lecture, I couldn’t _not_ pay attention. And we kinda kept talking. He asked about my classes and I asked about his hockey team and I kept moving closer.

At first, I didn’t notice, but when I did I didn’t stop. There was no more beer on my cup when my arm was resting in the back of the sofa, reaching. My fingers touching his arm softly as we kept talking. And then we kinda… stopped talking when we could feel our breaths meddling

“Casey?” He whispered, and his eyes flickered to my lips and it _hit me_.

_Oh_

I was not the only one with a forbidden high school crush.

I crooked my head a little to the side. “Yeah?”

“What are you doing?”

I laughed softly at that. “I think even you are smart enough to figure that out.”

He honest to god _blushed_ under my sight as I moved a little closer. A little closer.

“Derek!” A voice from behind us shouted. We broke apart like we were burned. “There you are, I was afraid you… _Shit_ , was I interrupting something?”

Derek coughed. “No… Well…” he took a breath “Casey, this is Jared, my roommate.”

Jared had long-ish hair and a kind smile and he grew to be one of my best friends, but at that moment I was _sure_ I could kill him. Instead, I waved, barely meeting his eye before I looked back at Derek, raising an eyebrow. He coughed again.

“So, uh, Jared, what do you want?”

“Oh, sorry, Aly is drunk out of her mind and we wanted to get her home and you’re our driver so…”

Derek turned to me apologetically. “I gotta go.”

I nodded. Even if my mind was using all of its brainpower to process the fact that I had _almost kissed Derek_ I couldn’t help but find it sweet him dropping the party for a friend.

“No worries, it was good seeing you here.”

“Yeah.”

We both got up, hesitating a little, but I was still high on adrenaline and a little bit drunk. “You still have my number, right?” I asked, mostly to keep appearances – we texted each other every time we drove back home to settle a time, but he nodded “Call me one of these days. We can… finish whatever this was going.”

He seemed a little taken back, but he smiled. “Yeah, sure. I’ll call.”

Two days later I was almost thought he wouldn’t, despite Gabs trying to convince me he was probably just nervous or something. I decided to take the matters into my own hands and text him, asking if he wanted to meet up at the cafeteria. Neutral ground. I guess Gabs was right because when we met at the cafeteria he didn’t seem the cocky, confidant Derek I was so used to.

“You didn’t call.” The words slurred out of my mind before I could realize I had been thinking them for days.

Derek laughed, a little edge on his voice “Yeah, I… you were drunk, I didn’t think you meant it.”

“Well. I did. Did you...”

“I’m here, right?”

I popped my lips, and his hands found their way to his back pockets. This was _awkward._

“Right.”

“Should we talk about this?” He asked, and _Derek_? Wanting to talk?

“I mean, we could… figure out what _this_ is first.”

He smiled at me “McDonald, college did you some good.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you're enjoying it! Kudos and comments are still appreciated!


	3. Darek's version

Derek closed the door behind him with a bit too much strength. This was high school all over again and he hated it. Honestly, what did he expect? Of _course,_ Casey-the-girlfriend would be as much of a control freak as Casey-the-step-sister.

He almost didn't hear the knocking on his door over his loud music, but he opened the door with full force, already annoyed.

“What do you _want,_ Casey?”

But in front of him was Edwin, looking a little nervous. “Hi. Dad wants me to talk to you about what’s happening. Can I come in?”

Derek rolled his eyes but took a step back to let his brother inside his room, closing the door behind him.

“There’s nothing to talk about, Casey is being a keener, as usual.”

Edwin looked around his room, a little awkward, not exactly meeting his eyes as he spoke “Well, you two haven’t been fighting in a long time. We’re all just… surprised. You seemed pretty close now you’re in college”

“Yeah, _close_.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

Derek looked at the closed door and then at his brother before sitting back on his bed. “Grab a chair, I’ll tell you. But don’t you _dare_ to tell any of this to anyone. I will find out and I _will_ make you regret it.”

Edwin seemed properly terrified as he grabbed the office chair behind him and sat down, facing Derek.

“I promise.”

“I mean it. Not even Lizzy. _Especially_ Lizzy. Do you understand?”

“Yes. Not a word.”

Derek hesitated for a second. “I’m dating Casey.”

“ _You’re_ _dating Casey?!”_

Derek shoved his hand in Edwin’s mouth to muffle the sound. “Shut up! Do you want dad and Nora to listen?”

Edwin blushed. “I’m sorry. I’m just… _Holy shit_.”

“Yeah, yeah, tell me about it.”

“You… how long?”

“...Our three-year anniversary is in a couple of months.”

Edwin rose his eyebrows and it looked like he was going to scream again before he remembered to keep his voice down “ _Three_? That’s almost the entire time you’ve been in college? What about… what about _college girls_ and _free Derek?”_

Derek laughed at that. “I mean, I had that for the first semester. It was nice, but...”

Edwin pulled a face. “Oh, _gross_ , you’re totally in love with my sister.”

“Gee, thanks, buddy.”

“I mean, you _are_. But if you two are all disgusting and love-dopey why did you two almost turn our dinner into a blood bath?”

The soft smile on Derek was gone, giving space to the annoyed frown he had all day. “Because Casey is an annoying keener who needs to have everything going _her way.”_

“Uh, that sounds like Casey. What did she do? Did you buy the wrong set of flowers for her birthday?”

“Ugh, no, I _wish_. Casey and I were discussing telling you. All of you, including dad and Nora, about us. But she can only accept that if we tell _her_ version of how we got together.”

“And that’s… bad?”

“Yes! Because her version is all wrong! She thinks _she_ is the one who asked me out. Which is _ridiculous_. Me? Not taking the first step? No way. Ok, listen.”

* * *

For the first semester, we basically ignored we go the same college. We never talked, never saw each other anywhere, which was _great_. Last thing I needed was a keener who never went out and joined every stupid club for _fun_. I was doing great. College agreed with me like no other form of education ever had. Drunk every week, meeting the coolest new people, watching _movies_ for _homework_? Hell, yeah, I was at my _peak_.

My roommate Jared was the best. He is also a player in the hockey team, so we really hit it off, and he's cousins with this frat guy named Ryan. Now, Ryan? He _really_ knows how to throw a party, so we became friends pretty quickly. We went to _every_ party at his frat house, and they were exclusive shit. Good booze too. Can’t remember any of my classes from that semester, honestly.

So, the semester just ended, and let me tell you: finals? Not fun. Worse part of college for sure. I bullshit my way through every test, but even then I was exhausted. So when Ryan mentioned to us that his fraternity was doing something special for the end of the term we were instantly in.

“You know, Gabs has a friend she wants you to meet,” Ryan mentioned one night he came over to watch a match.

I laughed. Gabs was his friend with benefits. I’ve met her a couple of times, mostly during parties, but we really hit it off. “Me? Yeah, sure, I mean, if she is half as much fun as Gabs’ I’m sure it’ll be interesting.”

Ryan smiled “Yeah, I’ve met the girl. Her roommate, actually, I think it's a good idea. Plus, you know Gabs, she’s been _dying_ to have a couple to double date with. Anyways, she is going to the party next Friday, I’ll make sure to introduce you.”

I laughed again and returned to the game. It wasn’t a big deal, so I didn’t think about it again. Jared and I arrived with a friend, Aly, and her girlfriend Jess in the prince and honestly just remembered about Gabs’ friend when I ran into Ryan a couple of hours into the party.

“Derek! Here, come with me, the girl we want you to meet is right in the next room.”

I followed him towards a small group of friends. Gabs had her back to us, but I recognized her curly hair and I assumed the girl with her hair in a high ponytail next to her was the friend in question. I didn’t have time to process how _familiar_ she looked, because Ryan called for her and she turned and.

_Oh_ .

It was Casey. Casey in a frat party. Casey in a frat party with some friends who thought we should hook up.

Ryan did say some introductions, but I couldn’t, for the life of me, pay attention to what he was saying. The only bright side to this was that I was  _pretty sure_ she couldn’t either. We were just staring at each other. I never thought much about it, you know? But Casey is  _pretty_ . No, fuck, I did think about that before. Listen, I might have considered kissing her a few times before college, but it was just a fluke, a weird intrusive thought. But seeing her in a frat party was like meeting an alternative version of Casey. She even had a cup in her hands. The idea of Casey, drunk at a frat party, was the last straw for me.

I started laughing, and she joined me a beat after.

“What?” Asked Ryan

“We know each other. We’re...” She said, smiling. And I knew what she was going to say; she was going to say _siblings_ and ruin this whole opportunity. I couldn’t let her.

“We went to high school together. She was the school keener.”

Casey coughed, surprised by my interruption. I was afraid she was going to say something, correct me, but instead, she said “Says the brainless jock.”

She was smiling while she said it, soft and a bit shy, and then it hit me she was _honestly drunk._ Casey McDonald, drunk and going along with my lies. I tried not to read into what that meant, but there was _something_ there, I just didn’t know what yet.

I really wanted to find out what.

“Well, maybe you should catch up? A lot has changed since high school.”

“Catch up with Derek? Wha...”

“Actually it looks like we both might need another drink,” I said, and honestly I wasn’t planning on getting hammered: I was driving and I wouldn’t _dream_ on hurting Prince, but seeing her here, drunk and smiling? Yeah, I needed a drink. “Coming?”

Gabs made an awfully high pitched sound, and I would’ve rolled my eyes, but I was still staring at Casey. She was still smiling when she nodded.

I waved at Jared, Aly, and Jess, our personal symbol for _I’m trying to flirt please don’t interrupt._ I did automatically, without a second thought, and I tried not to think about it as we walked towards the bar. Was I going to flirt?

“What are you doing?” I asked before I could stop myself

“Getting beer, catching up with you. What are you drinking?”

I blinked. Casey and beer didn’t go together in my head. “Beer is _ok_. I’m driving, so...”

“So you’re sober?”

I laughed a little. Me, sober, in a college party? Not happening. “I’m not drunk if that’s what you’re asking. Learned that lesson during my first week.”

She looked at me like she was trying to fit me in a puzzle in that big head of hers. “Good for you.”

She drunk the rest of her cup and I could see her eyes get a little hazy. _God_ , she was such a light head. “Casey McDonald, I’m surprised. What happened to _De-rek_ , _our brains aren’t fully formed, you could really hurt you_ _r_ _self with this_? _”_

She pulled a grimace like she does when she tries to look mad. I didn’t realize I missed it quite as much. “Shut up! It’s _one_ beer. Besides, I’m walking home.”

I pretended to study her face, but she leaned closer. One beer huh? “I can’t believe you’re drunk.”

“I’m not drunk!” She slurred. “Besides, I covered for you that day with mom, you own me.”

I laughed, and we walked to a quieter room with our new drinks, sitting on a sofa that I familiarly remember because I had kissed Aly’s friend there at the last party. I didn’t want to unpack that too.

“At least I’m not a lightweight”

Instead of answering she drunk again. She pulled a little grimace at the taste and I couldn’t help but wonder if this was her first time drinking beer. “So, Ryan told me something about your class on the male gaze?”

I snorted. Of course, she wanted to talk about _college._ But she was smiling at me over her cup, not shying away when I moved a little closer, hand on the back of the sofa between us. So I told her about my classes, bragging a little over a few, ugh, very cool projects I did.

“Truth to be told, I kinda like college” I finished.

“You? Enjoying education?”

“Hey, hey, I didn’t say that. It’s just… College is a lot more than pointless English classes.”

She didn’t seem to notice that I called a subject stupid. Instead, she asked more questions. Casey, always the keener, even drunk. But I asked her about hers, you know, to make conversation, and _god_ I had never seen her smile like that. Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was that she really enjoyed learning, of all things, but I couldn’t look away.

“You took chemistry for _fun_?” I laughed, and I inched closer.

I was stupid aware of every time any of us moved closer.

“It really changed my opinion on the subject! I always thought it was a bunch of rules to memorize, but it’s actually pretty logical once you get to the _why_ s of things!”

“It’s chem 101, I doubt it answered all your questions.”

“No! Actually I have more questions now than I did when I started!”

She seemed happy about that. Absolutely insane. I couldn’t stop staring at her.

We kept talking, but she was too close, my hand touching her shoulder. I had made that move more times than I can count but it was different. It was _Casey_.

“And, uh, your hockey team...” she whispered, but her words were against my lips. Not close enough to touch. Not yet. Her voice slowly died down.

There was no way I was the only one that had less than pure thoughts about my step-sibling, apparently.

“Derek?” she asked, but my mind wasn’t even registering what she was saying, my eyes were having a hard time focusing on her lips.

“Yeah?”

“What is this?”

I laughed, “Well, you’re the smart one.”

She blushed, and seeing it up close was really something else. Our lips were almost – almost…

Then Jared interrupted us. Listen, I adore the guy, but I could murder him when Casey pulled apart startled. But Aly was apparently wasn’t feeling well I was the only one with the car to drive her home and, well, bros before hoes, right?

“I gotta go,” I said getting up

She coughed, her face redder than I had ever seen, and honestly, in any other situation I’d made fun of her, but my brain-functions were less than optimal after whatever the fuck that flirting had been.

“No worries, it was good seeing you here.”

“Yeah.” I looked at her as she also got up, hands adjusting her skirt.

She was shy, nervous and whatever had happened in that sofa wasn’t once sided, so I smirked at her. “I’ll call you.”

She seemed surprised. “Yeah, sure. Sounds good.”

I winked at her, enjoying her blush for a second before I left.

Now. Everybody knows the rule is to wait three days after the first date to call back. _Everyone_ knows that. So I waited. We didn’t exactly have a first date, but we had something and I didn’t want to give her the satisfaction. Besides, I had other things to do, you know? I was chill, wasn’t thinking much about it.

So that’s why when Ryan texted me to go to the cafeteria two days later, I was caught by surprise to see Casey. She walked towards me and I met her halfway, still a little confused. I had never seen her in the cafeteria.

“You didn’t call.” She said, and I shouldn’t be surprised that Casey was the one 18-year-old who had no idea about the 3 days rules

So I laughed. “Did you want me to?”

“Did you want to?”

_Yes_ . I wanted to say, suddenly, as if this was a stupid  cliche movie. Instead, I said, “I’m here now.”

There was a silence after that. She popped her lips and it echoed around her.

“Right.”

I growled. “Do you want get out of here and...”

“Figure it out from there?” She finished.

I smiled at her. “ McDonald , college did you some good.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one more to go! They truly are something! Again, kudos/comments do make my day <3


	4. The solution

“And he says  _he_ was the one who asked me on a drink. Worse! He says I never texted him. Do you see the problem??” asked Casey

“...No.” answered Lizzie. “Does it matter?”

“Of course it does!”

“Why? It’s been three years!”

“It matters because he needs to accept that I cared about making this work!”

Lizzie’s face fell and she rubbed her eyes. “Is this just the most aggressive _I love you more_ fight ever?”

Casey felt her face warm under her sister's accusation. “No! Of course not. It’s not like that.”

Lizzie leaned back on the chair, crossing her arms around her chest. “No? Then what is it like?”

Casey looked down to her feet. “Maybe it’s like that.”

“ _God_ , I hate you two. C’mon.” She got up from her chair, taking her sister by the hand and pulling her up and out of her bedroom.

“Lizzie! No, we can’t...”

Lizzie opened  Derek’s door without any hesitation, pushing Casey first and entering the room right after, locking the door behind her. When she turned to see both Derek and Edwin staring at her, she sighed in relief.

“Oh, good, you’re here. He told you too?”

Casey seemed to have control of her body back, and she was using it for violence. “You  _told him_ ?” She asked, turning to look at Derek with her face red

He got up from the bed. “You told  _her?”_

“Yeah, yeah, we all know it, can we skip the drama and go back to when you two were happy and I could eat dinner in peace?”

Edwin coughed, adding a quiet “Please?”

Casey puffed but stayed in silence.

“So, from where I stand, you two are just having the most aggressive fluff fight in existence.” Said Lizzie “Am I right?”

“Oh, for sure” agreed Edwin, carefully avoiding looking at his brother “Just some stupid _I liked you first_.”

“It’s not stupid!” Said Casey “It’s our story! We should be able to tell her.”

“Yeah, as long as it's how _you_ want it to be.” Scoffed Derek “You just can’t accept you _didn’t_ text me and that I was going to.”

“You _weren’t_. And I did!”

“Of course not! You couldn’t even properly flirt at that party without looking _terrified_.”

“Terrified? Big words from the dude who weren’t even going to get me a beer.”

“I was the one who…”

“Shut up!” Shouted Lizzie “This is useless.”

“Is there someone we can call? Your friends were there, we could ask them.” Said Edwin.

Lizzie smiled. “Yeah, that could work! Gab riela and her boy toy, whats-his-face.”

Derek and Casey both laughed at that for a second, before looking at each other and stopping quickly.

“Ryan. The boy-toy.” Said Derek, seriously “Yeah, he was there.”

“It could work.” Added Casey, clearing her throat “I mean, Gabs was there when I texted you.”

“When you _didn’t_ , you mean.”

Lizzie rolled her eyes at them. “Honestly, how did you managed three years without killing each other? Casey, phone.”

She hesitated for a second before handing the phone to her sister. Lizzie turned it into her hands, looking through her contact before calling _Gabriela (roommate)_ and leaving it on speaker. She picked up at the third ring.

“Casey?”

“Hi! This is Casey’s little sister, Lizzie, actually, nice to meet you.”

“Lizzie? Hi, Casey told me so much about you I feel like I know you already? Is everything ok?”

Lizzie shined a bright smile. “Yes! Everything is fine, but I think you can help me. Casey brought her, uh, boyfriend Derek to dinner and they had the most stupid fight and I think you can help me settle it.”

From the other end, they could hear her laughing and explaining the situation to someone next to her. “God, I feel like I’m always helping them settle stupid fights. How can I help?”

Derek and Casey turned to each other offended and Casey was speaking before she could help it “We don’t have stupid fights!”

“Casey? Hi, girl! Are you on speaker? Wait, I’ll put Ryan too.”

A male voice came through the phone, sounding a little far away. “Hey!”

“Oh, good, everyone is here for this” grumbled Derek, rolling his eyes “Can we get it over with?”

“So, are you having another disagreement? Did Casey say the prequels weren’t that bad again?”

Lizzie and Edwin looked at them unimpressed. “No. Actually, they are fighting because Casey swears she texted him first, but Derek says she _didn’t_ and he was the one who asked her out first.”

“What? Why, it's been years guys, let it go.”

“Have you ever seen Derek or Casey _letting go_? Also, nice to meet you, I’m Derek’s brother Edwin.”

“Wow, I didn’t know your families were that close, I thought you were at Casey’s”

Edwin coughed. “Yeah, I’m… friends with Lizzie... from school. We met at school.”

Lizzie tried not to laugh at the panic on his face. “Anyways, can you settle this for us? Please?”

“It’s… It’s complicated.” Said Ryan

“No, it isn’t.” Piped in Derek “Just tell them you and I were at the cafeteria and you saw me ask her out.”

“Yeah because I _texted you_ to be at the cafeteria.”

“No you _didn’t,_ we were there because Ryan wanted to… wait. Ryan.”

Ryan coughed. His voice seemed a few pitched higher “Yes?”

Casey's eyes widened “Oh! No way! Did you two plot something?”

“No! Well... Maybe?” said Gabriela “Listen, we thought you two would make out at the party, maybe bang, see each other a few times… neither of us were expecting the sexual tension you had. And you didn’t even _kiss._ We knew there was something off about it… So when Casey said you hadn’t called I texted Ryan.”

“So I went to check on him and Derek was… well, I've never seen him so terrified of a phone call in my _life_. He kept saying she probably didn’t mean it, that he shouldn’t call because she wouldn’t pick up. And from what Gabs mentioned Casey wasn’t much better. So we… gave a little push. While Gabriela pushed Casey to text I snuggled his phone and said yes… and dragged his ass to the cafeteria.”

“Fuck you, Ryan, I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.”

“Men, I saw you type her phone like. A hundred times on your phone before deciding against it. I thought I should play safe. Besides, it worked, right?”

“Thank you so much, I’ll take it from here,” said Lizzie, turning off the call and giving back the phone to her sister “Happy now? Can you drop the _I love you more_ fight now?”

Casey coughed. “I didn’t know you were afraid to call me.”

Derek snorted. “Are you kidding me? I had _everything_ to lose.”

Edwin and Lizzie made the same barfing sound.

“Oh, this is too much, I’m leaving,” said Edwin

Lizzie nodded, following him out of the room and leaving the two alone.

“I _did_ ask you out first.” Laughed Casey, but there was no bitterness on her tongue.

“Only because your best friend _made you_ text me.”

“Well, how do you ask your step-brother out?”

He laughed, getting up so he was at her eye level. “Well, we’ve been doing pretty well on that department.”

She reached for his hand. “I’m sorry I said you didn’t care about me enough to call.”

“I’m sorry I said you would never think of asking me out.”

She smiled at him “You? Apologizing? Oh, I should’ve recorded it.”

“Shut up, I apologize. I’m a great boyfriend”

“Yeah, you are.”

He rolled her eyes at her smile, but pulled her closer by the waist, kissing her softly.

“I love you.”

“I love more, Space-Case.”

She hit his arm, laughing “Stop! Oh, god, we were kind of stupid, huh?”

He hugged her, letting her hide her face on his chest. “A little. I don’t think Edwin will let me live this down.”

“Well, at least they know, maybe we should fill Marti too, so she doesn’t feel left out.”

“What? That little heathen? She will tell dad in an _instant._ ”

Casey laughed, pulling away just enough to kiss him again. “Well, can we at least agree I kissed you first?”

“What are you _talking about_ , Klutzilla? I definitely kissed you first.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! Stupid step-brothers in love!  
> Thank you for reading it, I hope you enjoyed it! I had fun writing them being dumb and in love. 
> 
> Again, kudos and comments do make my day and fuel my writing! if you feel like it please don't hesitate to drop something bellow <3 
> 
> you can find me at the Dasey Discord Channel or at las-lus.tumblr.com, if you want to talk don't be shy! drop an ask, I'm always online.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Please don't forget to leave kudos or (if you feel like it) a comment! They really make my week!


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